


Vestige.

by IggyBlue



Series: V. [6]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Feels, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 03:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6736519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IggyBlue/pseuds/IggyBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What could have been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vestige.

"Gohan, I've got a job for you."

"Yeah?"

They were spending the day apart from civilisation - off somewhere in the forest, a favourite place of Kakarot's. His wife was away at a lunch with some friends, so he had the time with Gohan to himself, which, of course, he opted to spend also with Vegeta. They'd spent the morning thus far training the boy; it had become a pet project of Vegeta's to advise the child, in turn rehashing fundamental lessons for himself.

"I want you to find stuff to make a fire with. And I want you to kindle and stoke it."

"Okay!" The boy, with a mission, hurried in toward some brush.

"Don't get lost, okay?" Kakarot called out after him. "Stay close!"

"Yepppp!"

"Alright then," Kakarot spoke to Vegeta now. "I'm going fishing." And with that he began to kick off his boots and strip his outer clothing, as fancy-free as ever. Vegeta tensed up. Though he'd seen Kakarot shirtless so many times before, he found himself now so acutely aware of the man's thick muscles and wide, rippling back. He was masculinity in the flesh. Kakarot looked over his shoulder with a smile. "Coming for a swim?"

"I'm staying here."

"Okay, you can watch and make sure I don't drown."

"Pssh." He feigned nonchalance as Kakarot stood there in nothing but his undershorts.

"If the fish catches me instead, you have to save me okay?"

"Fine."

Kakarot giggled and bounded into the water, childish glee contrasting his mature physicality. His shock of black hair against pale skin reminded Vegeta of old times. Of home. He sat there watching for a while as Kakarot leisurely swam about exploring the lake, waiting to find the right fish to make their lunch. Some time passed, and the boy emerged from the thick of the brush with some of it cradled in his arms, dumping it in a pile in the centre of the small clearing.

There was a silence, and Vegeta could hear the boy toeing the dirt.

"Umm... Mr. Vegeta?" The boy asked meekly.

"What."

"I can't make a fire yet."

"Okay."

"But dad told me to."

"How is this my problem."

"Um, could you light it for me?"

Vegeta shrugged inwardly, then turned and blasted the pile of twigs and leaves with a small shot of ki, enough to spark it up. The boy jumped into action to keep the fire healthy once it had been started. "I can't imagine what your mother would say if she saw you doing this."

The boy laughed with a wicked kind of glee. "Yeah. She'd go nuts."

"Huh." The boy was a bit of a curiosity.

Vegeta turned back to watch Kakarot again, spotting him breaching the surface here and there, watching how each precise, calculated movement and every minute twist of his body sent him gracefully through the water. The man had a body and he certainly knew how to use it...

"Um, Mr. Vegeta?"

"What is it boy."

"Just, um... well, you like my dad now right?"

" _What?!_ "

"Well when you... when you first came here you didn't like my dad. You wanted to hurt him. But now you're friends. Why is that?"

Vegeta was relieved that the boy hadn't been on the same train of thought. "Things changed."

"You don't want to hurt him anymore, right?"

"That's correct."

"Ah, okay. Good." Gohan seemed to settle a little within himself.

Vegeta eyed him sideways, the hint of a smirk threatening to break through. "What, do I have your approval now? I can be Kakarot's friend?" Gohan smiled and nodded happily, and Vegeta couldn't hold back his breathy chuckle. "I'm glad, then."

"....Mr. Vegeta?"

"Drop the title, boy."

"Okay... but how come you wanted to hurt my dad?"

"Long story. Basically I wanted to prove myself as a warrior."

"Huh. That's like our friend Piccolo. He first wanted to beat dad, but now we're all friends."

"Your father has a funny way of making friends."

"Yeah." The boy had sat down by now, and was hugging his knees in front of him. He had a maturity about him, despite his young age and tiny physique. And he seemed to have almost a better grasp on his own mind than Kakarot did. Less child-like than Kakarot himself. "My dad says you're a prince. Is that true?"

Vegeta was eyeing Kakarot again, as he periodically surfaced and ducked back underwater. "Yes."

"You don't really act like one, though." He responded, ever observant.

"Saiyan princes aren't like human ones. We are a warrior race. The royal family acts accordingly."

"Did you have a castle?"

"More like a palace."

"What's the difference?"

"Castles are old, I guess. Palaces are more ornate. More luxurious."

"Wow." The boy responded. Kakarot was finally making his way onto the bank with a large fish in tow. "So then..." The little one cringed as his father ended the creature's life, and continued to breach carefully, "Then Frieza took over?"

"Yes."

"When was that?"

"I was... how old are you, boy?"

"I'm six."

Vegeta's stomach turned slightly. "About your age."

"Oh, that's really bad. Anyway, how old are you now?" Kakarot had caught up with them now, and was standing a few feet away, following the conversation intently.

Vegeta caught his eye. "Old."

"As old as my dad?"

"A few years older. Your dad was born about the time I was taken aboard the ship."

"So, six years after my dad."

"Your powers of deduction are impressive."

"I study a lot."

"So I hear." Kakarot was smiling at him. "What do you want, Kakarot."

"Nothing. Just you two are adorable. Like bookends."

Gohan looked up at his father. "Vegeta's not cute, dad," He chided, "he's _cool_."

Vegeta couldn't help but smirk, and Kakarot laughed his gentle laugh and lifted Gohan easily, throwing him into the air then catching him into a hug, the boy giggling with joy the whole time. Kakarot mumbled, smiling into the boy's ear. "Love you Gohan."

"Love you too dad."

Kakarot snuggled him tighter for a moment then put him back on the ground, ruffling his hair.

Vegeta wondered what the moment was exactly when he had stopped being the enemy.

~

The afternoon drew long with shadows that the setting sun cast out over the land. Knowing that Chi-Chi would be expecting Gohan back, and that he'd come into trouble if the boy stayed out longer, Kakarot took him home.

Vegeta sat alone for a short while, thinking. Before long Kakarot had appeared again, the mood now more intimate without the impressionable gaze of the child upon them both.

"Thanks for today, Vegeta."

"Mm."

"Gohan had a blast. I did too, actually."

Vegeta didn't feel inclined to respond, and the other man picked up on it, speaking again. "What are you thinking about?" He asked gently, lowly, voice rumbling in his chest despite its usual higher pitch.

"When was it that the boy stopped fearing me."

"What do you mean?"

"On Namek, he was petrified."

Kakarot looked at him sideways, serious but not dark. "Isn't it better to be respected, than to be feared?"

The potency of the question struck Vegeta, and he met his gaze. They stared at one another for a long moment, minds ticking over.

Finally Vegeta responded. "I suppose it is. But, if it's respect the boy has for me, then... that's even more ridiculous."

"Why do you say that?"

"I punched him hard. In the guts."

He could see Kakarot startle slightly but keep his emotions in check. "On Namek?"

"Yeah."

"What did you do that for?"

"To keep him in line."

Kakarot sighed slightly, concerned. "You really didn't need to do that. Gohan's a good kid. He never would have posed a threat to you."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Vegeta mused, adding, "I don't regret it."

Kakarot folded his arms over his knees, leaning over onto his forearms. "Anyway, why are you telling me this. You knew that would hurt me." He mumbled, almost petulantly.

"You asked me what I was thinking about."

"You didn't need to tell me you hurt him."

Vegeta shrugged. "It was important to the story."

"I guess."

"He's fine now."

"I know."

"Are there things you're concealing from me?"

Kakarot looked up at him. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Things that you suppose might hurt me."

"I'm not sure _anything_ could hurt you, Vegeta." There was a strange sadness in his eyes.

"Hmm." He agreed.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you, anyway."

"Are you truly hurt though, Kakarot? You merely seem a bit downtrodden. And I suspect it's due to the fact that I told you, not what I said."

"You're right." He sighed, resting his face on his arms again. "I'm just bummed because I'm torn. You know how it is."

"Yeah."

There was a pause, a flock of birds were causing a noisy kerfuffle in the late afternoon treetops nearby. Again he spoke. "As much as I resent my situation... I can't hate Chi-Chi. I can't wish her harm."

" _I _can, though."__

__"You wouldn't, would you?"_ _

__"No. That's your battle."_ _

__"Okay... good." Kakarot shook his head as if to clear it of the mood he now found himself in, sitting up. "Sorry."_ _

__"It's fine."_ _

__"I like that you're honest with me." Kakarot was scooching closer to sit directly beside him._ _

__"Alright." A hand found its way into his, their fingers intertwining. "So I take it you've forgiven me?"_ _

__There was a little smile in Kakarot's voice. "How can I stay mad when you're so damn handsome?"_ _

__"You're not too bad yourself."_ _

__"Is that right?" There was a playful lilt about his voice._ _

__"You should go swimming more often." He replied pointedly._ _

__"Oh," Kakarot understood what he was saying, and seemed pleased with it. "Or I could simply get naked more often."_ _

__"A suitable compromise." Vegeta quipped. The thought made his heart leap nervously in his chest, Kakarot's light voice sounding out in a chuckle so temptingly close about his ear. He looked away from the man, vaguely eyeing the scenery._ _

__"Geta."_ _

__"Mm?"_ _

__"I noticed something about you."_ _

__The proximity was wigging him out slightly, though he liked it._ _

__"It's the most adorable thing. You're _shy_."_ _

__"What?" He couldn't help but swivel to look directly at the man's face. He was greeted by the simple, warm and inviting smile he always found._ _

__"You're shy! It's so cute."_ _

__"These words don't suit me at all."_ _

__Kakarot was simply smiling his big old smile, and his eyes said he'd made up his mind on the matter. Vegeta exhaled, letting it slide, turning away once more when he felt Kakarot's gaze drop to his lips._ _

__Perhaps he was right._ _

__The birds had moved their noisy bustle elsewhere by now, but the leaves of so many towering trees around them rustled in the breeze. "It's gorgeous, huh?"_ _

__Vegeta hummed evenly, and Kakarot squeezed his hand a little._ _

__Kakarot glanced over at him. "You've traveled a lot, right? Throughout the universe."_ _

__"I have."_ _

__"Tell me... is there any place as beautiful as earth?"_ _

__Vegeta gazed over the view of the grand lake before him, thinking it over in light of the question. "There's not."_ _

__"Really?"_ _

__"Many planets are much more arid. On some, life moved underground."_ _

__"Oh wow."_ _

__"Yeah."_ _

__"Do you like it here, Vegeta?"_ _

__He shrugged. "I don't hate it."_ _

__Kakarot hesitated. "Is there... a place you'd rather be?"_ _

__Vegeta glanced sideways at him, then back out over the lake. "I used to think... that I'd like to go home. To my planet."_ _

__There was a slight waver in Kakarot's voice when he spoke, a hint of fear. "We could wish it back, maybe."_ _

__"No." He sighed, his head dropping as he thought. "Now I realise... it's probably best that it's gone."_ _

__Kakarot startled. "Why would you say that?!"_ _

__"It was full of people just like me."_ _

__"Don't be like that."_ _

__"It was. Besides, if things hadn't happened the way they did... I think I would have led a very frivolous life. Perhaps an even more meaningless one."_ _

__The other man hummed, listening, now running a thumb over the skin of Vegeta's hand, savouring the feeling of being together._ _

__"I would have always gotten my way... would have had no real opposition. Would never have any challenges, really. How dull." A touch of melancholy struck him, despite his condemnation of how things could have been._ _

__There was a pause, and Kakarot piped up. "...How things turned out, made you better. Do you... are you glad?"_ _

__"I'm satisfied with where I am now. But it wasn't worth it, if that's what you're asking."_ _

__"It wasn't?"_ _

__"No."_ _

__"I'm sorry."_ _

__"Don't be." He finally looked over at Kakarot, appraising him, silenced by words that stuck in his throat. Words of gratefulness toward the only Saiyan to have proven a true challenge._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Do we like conflict? I've got some but I'm not convinced about adding it. Thanks for the love.


End file.
